


No Better Love

by MissWritesALot55



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood, Drama, F/F, Found Family, Gay dads, Gen, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Themes, Love, M/M, Mentions of War, Multi, Nonbinary Character, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, PTSD, Steampunk, Toxic Relationship, Trauma, Violence, relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29688294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissWritesALot55/pseuds/MissWritesALot55
Summary: Lachlan Grey and his boyfriend Ajax find an amnesiac automaton named Rowan in the bed of their truck and are somewhat at odds about what to do with her.But when an accident with their friend in Ajax's hometown calls them there and they find out her true origins, they must decide whether to keep her safe from the one who threw her out in the first place or to give her back to prevent a possible war.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1





	No Better Love

**Author's Note:**

> Songs used:  
> La Vie En Rose: Edith Piaf  
> Miss Acacia: Dionysos

The Cadillac once again erupted into a thick cloud of smoke, much darker than it was thirty minutes ago. Lachlan and his crew took off running to the very corners of the garage as their section quickly filled up with smoke. Lachlan opened the back door, practically falling on his knees as he hacked into his arm. He reached into his pocket and fumbled with his inhaler. Continuing to work as a mechanic while having asthma wasn't the smartest idea, but Lachlan Grey wasn't known for making smart decisions. But sometimes, he often wondered if being stuck in a shitty garage with shitty tools and working with shitty people was worth him suffocating every afternoon.

Sure, it would have been nice to be the 'prodigy boy' that his night school teacher had been raving about, working in a garage in Alcos with zeppelins or a lot nicer cars other than the ones he saw daily, but he preferred good, edible food than whatever shit they served up there-as sad as that sounded.

The garage’s doors slid open with an awful screech, releasing all of the toxic fumes into the open. That’s how he knew they weren’t getting paid for trying to resurrect that piece of shit. Just his luck. He could already hear the distant hollering of the old man who owned the damn thing, giving him and Markus a good thirty-minute scolding. No doubt he would be getting most of the blame shoved onto him by the others. Not that he minded. He and Markus were friends.

But he just hated having to waste his time. He tried his best, but he knew from the moment that thing rolled into the garage it was unsalvageable. It had been in six accidents, broken down on its way over there, it kept catching fire. There was no saving it.

He breathed a heavy sigh as he got up, assuming that all the smoke had cleared out. He tucked away his inhaler and walked back inside.

“Grey!” Someone called, “Boyfriend’s on the phone for ya!”

The others in the garage began murmuring to each other. He ignored them and went on his way to the long line of landlines, most of which were broken to hell. He was happy when Ajax called at work. His voice always managed to calm him down, even at his worst moments.

He picked up the first phone, holding the disgusting receiver away from his face, “Hello?”

“Hey! So glad I finally got through. I can actually hear you this time, too.” Ajax chirped.

“What’s up?”

“Just checking on ya. Making sure you’re okay. Are you coming home soon?”

“Not tonight, hun. I got a lot to do here.”

“What? Tonight? I thought you said you were working overtime tomorrow.” He became more alarmed.

“I just really need to finish this one job. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“But I need you here! I have a show tonight and Orla isn’t feeling well. I need someone to play the piano!”

That was a lie. He had seen Orla that morning as he was leaving for work and she looked fine. And even if she was under the weather, she wouldn’t say anything. She would have played that damn piano until she passed out. “Ajax-”

“Please, Lanni. I need my favorite, handsome piano man with me tonight. It’s important. Please?” 

“Ajax-”

“Please, honey?”

He was close to saying no. He did love Ajax, of course. But he was barely making ends with his job and he needed this money from working overtime.

But he could also never say no to him when he talked all cutesy to him. He sighed, a smirk forming, “Okay. I’ll do my best to make it before showtime. Since you want me there so bad.”

“I’ll be waiting. I love you.” Ajax hummed.

“Love you too, hon.”

Lachlan didn’t realize he was grinning. His heart was fluttering inside his chest just like when he was a teenager. It was hard to think after all of this time, he could still be smiling like an idiot over getting a phone call from his boyfriend.

He hung up and quickly went to his locker to gather his things. His boss, Markus, was descending the stairs from the offices as the rumble of trucks came. It was that time of the month where the elites of Alcos would send all of their trash and broken machinery down to The Pit and everyone would search through it for something good. Lachlan would always get the first pick and take home piles of junk that he would tinker with for hours on end.

He was shaking. He really wanted to go and see what goodies were waiting for him, but he promised Ajax that he would be there. He wasn’t about to let him down.

He grabbed his bag and headed towards his truck. One of his co-workers, a heavier by the name of Chuck, clapped his hand together. His booming laugh echoed throughout the lot, “Alright! Who wants first pick of the pile?” His eyes met Lachlan’s, “Grey! How bout you!”

He wanted to object-he really did. But it was just too tempting.

_ ‘Just a quick browse. That’s it. Then you get in the truck and you drive like hell.’ _

He made his way over to the large junk pile that surrounded the lot and garage as the others howled with laughter. A big but very bland-looking pile fell at his feet. It seemed to be nothing but a bunch of old engine parts and busted car doors. He could find something to do with it, but maybe he was just telling himself so he could leave sooner.

He pointed to it, “I’ll take this one.”

The others laughed again. Chuck came over, shaking his head, “What? This pile of crap? I woulda thought that the boy inventor would want something more substantial.”

He gave an exasperated sigh, “Look, I don’t have time for this shit! Just throw it all in the back of my truck and I’ll find something to do with it!”

He signaled for one of the forklifts to come over and load it all into the back of his truck. He tapped his foot impatiently until everything was loaded on. He didn’t give thanks or say goodbye. He just jumped into his truck and sped off, a feeling of dread hanging over him.

_ ‘I am so screwed.’  _ He thought,  _ ‘I am so fucking screwed.’ _

In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have promised that he would be there in the first place. His job was an hour away, and if traffic was bad, it would take him three hours to get home.

And traffic was always bad.

He prayed for a miracle as he drove until he hit traffic a few minutes later.

_ 'I'm so fucking screwed.' _

* * *

He arrived with five minutes to spare.

He pulled into the back of the Red Lily bar and ran in through the back door. He saw his lanky lover at the curtains of the stage, arguing with his older but shorter sister. Like he had assumed earlier, she was fine. As he got closer, he realized they were both speaking in French as to not indicate that they were in fact talking about him.

Orla never liked him. Even before everything that happened during the war, she had a growing resentment towards him. She hated that he had supposedly made Ajax leave his safe and cozy home in Jubilee to this shithole known as the Pit. She hated that he was never around as much to take care of or watch over him-even he was a grown man who could take a lot better care of himself than Lachlan could.

She hated him for a lot of things, and she would probably hate him until she died. Probably hate him after, too.

Ajax finally spotted him and lit up. “Mon amour! You made it!”

Lachlan opened his arms, “I told you I would, didn’t I?”

He wrapped his arms around Ajax, chuckling a little as squeezed him. As he pulled away, he noticed that his lover was a lot more dressed up than normal. Ajax always made a point of looking nice no matter the occasion, but this time he was way classier than he usually was when performing in the bar. He was dressed in his nice red wine-colored tailcoat with matching dress shoes and his nice black pants. He had done his makeup and even put on Orla’s gold eyeliner that she rarely used. He was even wearing that fake gold ring with the ruby gem he bought for him when he turned 23.

“What’s up? Is there something on my face?”

“No, no. You look amazing. Fantastic, even.”

“Oh please,” Orla huffed, reminding them of her presence, “Don’t think that your compliments are gonna change the fact that you’re late.”

“We still have 5 minutes to showtime,” Lachlan replied with a devilish smirk.

“Still. Late.”

“Now, now. Everyone relax. I’m warmed up, Lanni knows all the songs I’m gonna sing tonight. He’s here. Everything is fine.”

Orla rolled her eyes and walked away in a huff. Lachlan couldn’t help but laugh a little. 

Ajax shook his head, “You guys are like toddlers.”

“I’m just teasing her, hon.”

“Sorry for calling you out here so last minute. I thought I remembered telling you about tonight. Guess I was wrong.”

“It’s fine, Jax. I just don’t get why you couldn’t have Orla play for you? She seems fine.”

Ajax was quiet for a moment. He scratched his chin nervously, “I...I like it better when you play. That’s it.”

Lachlan smiled. He stood on the tips of his toes and pressed a kiss to Ajax’s forehead, “You know if you missed me that much, you could have just asked me to-”

“You wouldn’t have shown up even if I did,” He started scratching his chin again, “I don’t want to sound ungrateful. I know you’re working hard for us-I know. But I barely see you nowadays. I maybe get to talk to you for 10 minutes before you either leave for work or pass out from working so hard. I miss you. A lot.”

Lachlan frowned. “I know...I get it. I just want to make sure that we have enough in case something happens-”

“Nothing is going to happen! Everything in the apartment works, we’re both healthy, we’re safe. Everything is fine!”

“Yeah, but for how long?” He mumbled.

Ajax bent down and cupped his cheek with his prosthetic hand, pressing their foreheads together. “I know you’re still afraid. I am too. I don’t think there’s a time where I’m not afraid of everything falling apart again. But you don’t have to be on edge all the time. You can enjoy life every once in a while.”

Lachlan held his hand close, gently pressing his cheek against Ajax’s cold palm. It was hard not to overthink, to expect the worst when you had constant reminders of all the bad things that happened before. The large cracks in the ceiling of their bedroom, the dried blood permanently stained on their ugly brown couch, the ugly scars that covered his entire right side that he had to look at every time he saw himself in the mirror…

He forced a small smile, trying to push those uncomfortable thoughts to the back of his mind, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize. Just don’t stress out so much. We’ll be okay.”

Lachlan nodded and pressed a kiss to Ajax’s cheek, “Okay, I’m gonna practice a little before the show. Good luck.”

Ajax smiled confidently. Lachlan walked off the stage and took his place at the piano. Orla slid into a booth right behind him. He didn’t even need to turn around to know that she was scowling at him.

“You’re late.” She sneered.

“Yeah, well I’m here now.” He hissed back.

“I don’t even know why you’re here. I could’ve played for him myself. It’s only four songs.”

Lachlan raised an eyebrow. Four? Only four? He turned to the piano and flipped through the sheet music. Orla was right. Ajax had only picked four songs to sing. They were very short songs as well, which was strange because Ajax would always sing until his voice gave out. He’d even try to sing after he blew out his voice because he just loved singing so much.

That wasn’t the only strange thing he noticed. Several of the booths including the one Orla was sitting in were empty. They would usually house the less savory characters that would make nightly appearances at the Red Lily. Sometimes they would sit at the tables closer to the stage so they could heckle and even trip Ajax. No matter how many times Carter kicked them out, they always came back. But, on this night, they were surprisingly absent.

Lachlan leaned back, “Hey, what happened to the guys that usually sit there?”

“Carter paid them off. Guess he got tired of dragging them out every night.” Orla replied.

The lights in the bar dimmed and the stage lit up. Ajax stepped out from behind the curtain and the small crowd clapped. Ajax was beaming, “Good evening, everyone! It’s wonderful to see you all again! I know I say that all the time, but I actually mean it tonight. Especially tonight.”

_ ‘What is he talking about?’  _ Lachlan thought,  _ ‘Did I forget something? It’s not his birthday yet. I’m pretty sure it’s not our anniversary...right?’ _

“So, I’ll be ending a little early, and as thanks, drinks are on the house!”

The crowd cheered. Ajax laughed. He turned his head to Lachlan and gave him a slight nod. Lachlan turned to the piano, his fingers falling on the keys. He watched from the corner of his eye as Ajax brought the microphone closer to his lips. “Make this one a little slow,” Is all he says before he’s wrapped in his little world. Lachlan’s fingers dance on the keys and it isn’t long before he is also in his own world where only he and Ajax exist. Where he is the only one there to enjoy his beautiful voice.

_ “ _ _ Oh tes paupières se lèvent comme des ombrelles noires _

_ Elles sont les dentelles soulevées de la nuit qui tombe _

_ C'est bien quand tes yeux de miel se mêlent aux miens _

_ Nos cils se prennent comme de tout petits chats qui tremblent _

_ En toi, Miss Acacia, je me plante _

_ Mais rien ne poussera de ton ventre _

_ A part peut-être un chat ou un monstre _

_ Rien ne poussera dans ton ventre,” _

A warm smile tugged at Lachlan’s lips. He always got this odd, giddy feeling every time Ajax sang. It always reminded him of the times that Ajax would come to visit from Jubilee and he would jump on stage to sing songs that his dad would play for him as a kid. Half of the time, he didn’t even understand the words. He was just happy to see Ajax so...happy.

_ “Allez mon cœur, mon vieux tambour, il faut tenir le coup _

_ C'est pas tous les jours que l'amour va planter ses dix petits doigts _

_ Accroche-toi la piquante Miss Acacia _

_ Toi petit cœur hérisson acéré fort _

_ Serre-Moi fort _

_ Moi j'ai tout gardé de ce que tu m'as planté _

_ Même tes piquants sont en train de pousser _

_ Je suis fertile de toi,” _

“He’s really getting into it tonight,” Orla’s words barely register with Lachlan. He has never known Ajax to give anything less than everything when he sang. Hell, he understood how he felt better when he sang. 

_ “ En toi, miss Acacia, je me plante _

_ Mais rien ne poussera de ton ventre _

_ A part peut-être un chat ou un monstre _

_ Rien ne poussera dans ton ventre, _

_ I don't know what you do to me _

_ But I know what I want you to be.” _

The crowd erupted into genuine applause and cheering. Ajax was grinning ear to ear. He looked like a kid on Christmas Day, and it made Lachlan overjoyed to see him so esthetic. The next two songs went quickly. They were a bit more akin to the upbeat sets Ajax would normally sing and Lachlan managed to play with few problems. He was just rearranging the sheet music so he could play the last song when Orla grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up from his seat.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m playing the last song.”

“What?”

“Carter just told me that he wants me to play the last song. Now go. I got this.”

Lachlan was about to interject when Carter came up and led him to a table right in front of the stage and sat him down. “Carter, what-”

“Relax. You’re not in trouble. Just enjoy the show.”

Lachlan sighed, awkwardly shifting in his seat and lowering his head to avoid the gaze of the other patrons. He took a glance at Ajax, who was smiling sweetly at him. That managed to ease him a little bit.

“This is gonna be my last song for tonight, and I’m dedicating it to my lovely partner of 10 years, Lachlan!”

Lachlan waved sheepishly at the clapping crowd. Ajax chuckled, “This is for you, honey. Happy Birthday.”

Finally, it clicked in Lachlan’s head. Orla and Carter acting weird, the fact that all of the songs on the setlist were love songs, the absence of the guys in the booths-it was his goddamn birthday, and he completely forgot.

He almost laughed aloud. He bit the corner of his lip and smiled as he listened to Ajax sing.

_ “ _ _ Hold me close and hold me fast, _

_ This magic spell you cast. _

_ This is La Vie En Rose,” _

He almost started tearing up. He thought of it as a little dumb-how this song was ‘their song’ even though a million other people had already claimed it as ‘their song.’ But to them, to him, it would always be theirs.

_ “When you kiss me,  _

_ Heaven sighs. _

_ And though I close my eyes, _

_ I see La Vie En Rose,” _

Ajax knelt down and grabbed Lachlan’s hand. He pulled him onto the stage and pressed him close to his chest. Lachlan was beet red. 

_ “When you press me to your heart, _

_ I’m in a world apart- _

_ A world where roses bloom,” _

They slowly swayed together on stage. Lachlan’s arm slinked around Ajax’s waist. Ajax’s hand intertwined with Lachlan’s free hand, pressing their foreheads together.

_ “And when you speak, _

_ Angels sing from above. _

_ Everyday words seem to turn into love songs…” _

They stopped. Lachlan’s heart was beating out of his chest. Ajax pressed a kiss to his temple before he turned his head back to the audience for the last verse.

_ “Give your heart and soul to me, _

_ And life will always be- _

_ La Vie En Rose!” _

The crowd roared. Lachlan flinched as soon as he realized where he was and turned away from the crowd. 

Ajax laughed. "Thank you all so much! Goodnight!"

Lachlan waved to the crowd as Ajax pulled him backstage and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. Lachlan had to take a step back because he was so overwhelmed with emotion.

"Was that too much?"

"A little. I-I'm fine, don't worry."

"Ah, I'm sorry! I just, I wanted to make tonight special for you but I guess I got a little carried away. I know you don't really like celebrating your birthday like this, but I thought since you're turning 27, it should be like a special thing and-"

"Hon, hon. Calm down," Lachlan said, taking Ajax's hands, "I loved it. The thing on the stage just threw me off guard. I loved it and I'm very happy you did this for me. It was incredibly sweet." 

"I'm really glad you liked it. Oh! I have another gift for you!" 

Ajax reached into his boot and pulled out a thin, black box and handed it to Lachlan. He opened the box, his eyes lighting up. Elegantly placed inside was a silver pendant with a black gem hanging off it.

"Honey, this is so cool! Where did you get this?" 

"Sorrel gave it to me a few months back. I was gonna give it to you as a Christmas gift, but then I remembered your birthday was coming up so I asked Sorrel if Lapis brought anything cool back and he gave me this! Want me to help you with it?"

Lachlan nodded. Ajax turned him around and put the necklace on him, “It’s black tourmaline. It’s supposed to protect you from negative emotions. At least, that’s what Sorrel told me when he gave it to me.”

“Whatever it means, I love it. Thank you,” He pressed a kiss to his cheek, “So, you wanna get free drinks to celebrate?”

“Actually, I was really hoping we could have our own little celebration upstairs, if you catch my drift.”

Lachlan smirked, pressing quick and rough kisses to his face and neck. They left through the back door, a combination of kisses and laughter filling the air. They made their way up the fire escape, tripping over themselves. But before they could make it to the second floor, Ajax stopped. Lachlan collided with his chest. He felt his hands on his shoulders as he was still trying to kiss him, “L-Lanni-Lanni, stop.”

Lachlan looked up at him. His expression was completely different. He was absolutely terrified. His wide eyes were fixated on something around the truck. Lachlan adjusted himself, “Hey, what’s up?”

“T-there’s something in the truck.” He whispered.

“What?”

“There’s something in the bed of your truck! Something moved!”

“Hon, there’s nothing there but busted parts,.”

“I saw it! Look! It’s moving again!”

Lachlan squinted as he looked towards the bed of the truck. His heart jumped into his throat as he fell back.

Sticking out of the pile and holding onto the side of his truck was someone’s small hand.


End file.
